Season 2021

August 2021

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Powderkeg Players Presents The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh opening August 20th, directed by Samuel Chappel.

The play received the 2004 Olivier Award for Best New Play, the 2004-5 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Foreign Play, and two Tony Awards for production.

McDonagh’s subject is clear: the dangerous power of literature.

The hero, Katurian, is a writer who has been arrested by the police in a totalitarian state. His crime is not, as we initially assume, political subversiveness: it is that his short stories, dwelling on persecuted children, bear a resemblance to some child murders.

Although Katurian protests his innocence, it transpires that his brother has admitted to the crimes implementing Katurian. The question facing him is whether he should sacrifice his own life and that of his brother in order to ensure the preservation of his stories.

The play contains both narrations and reenactments of several of Katurian’s stories.

Cast:

Tupolski – Craig Lenaine-Smith

Ariel – Benji Groenewegen

Katurian – James Chappel

Michal – Matthew Freeman

Show Dates:

Friday August 20th 8pm

Saturday August 21st 2pm (matinee) & 8pm

Thursday August 26th 8pm

Friday August 27st 8pm

Saturday August 28th 2pm (matinee) & 8pm

APRIL 2021

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We’re bringing Ben Elton’s brilliant work ‘Popcorn’ to our stage in 2021, directed by Ashley Weidner.

Ben Elton’s wrote the novel and play was sparked by the controversy of Oliver Stone’s Tarantino-scripted film Natural Born Killers over whether watching a violent film can make people commit violent acts.

Elton sets his story in the Hollywood mansion of film director Bruce Delamitri just before and after he wins an Oscar for his film about a young couple who go on a killing spree. He has firmly rejected any responsibility for the actions of the Mall Murderers, a young couple who are killing people in a similar fashion to the characters in his movie.

However the real-life murderers break into Delamitri’s house on Oscar night and reveal that they are huge fans of his movies and they want the world to know about it.

First time director Ashley Weidner makes his way to Powderkeg for the first time to bring Elton’s funny, gripping and genuinely thought provoking piece to the Sunshine stage.

Tickets on sale soon!

AUGUST 2021

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We’re excited to announce our August 20212 production of The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh. Directed by Samuel Chappel

The Pillowman tells the story of Katurian, a writer of short stories that often depict violence against children, who has been arrested by two detectives, Ariel and Tupolski, because some of his stories resemble recent child murders.

When he hears that his brother Michal has confessed to the murders and implicated Katurian, he resigns himself to being executed but attempts to save his stories from destruction. The play contains both narrations and re-enactments of several of Katurian’s stories.

We welcome to Sunshine for the first time, award winning director Samuel Chappel for a season opening August 2021.

NOVEMBER 2021

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Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Adapted for the stage by Joseph Robinette

Our annual family show is back for 2021!

Charlotte’s Web tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte.

When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live.

Charlotte’s Web is considered a classic of children’s literature, enjoyable to adults as well as children. The book is listed as the best-selling children’s paperback of all time.

Every year our family show, with kids and adults performing gets bigger and bigger and this year will be bigger than ever. Season opening November 2021.